IngestedThe Level Above Human

Ingested are a band it can physically hurt to listen to. This, of course, is not a negative, merely that it will take a hardened ear to listen to A Level Above Human back-to-front. There are only so many machine-gun drums, neck-snapping riffs and vocal beatdowns one person can take.

"Invidious," in particular, brings the low end straight from 2008. Deathcore might, as a whole, be stuck in a bit of a rut, but Ingested seem happy to stay in their corner. Jason Evans still has a snarl that could go toe-to-toe with any of death metal's greats, and "Purveyors of Truth" is good pit fodder. "Obsolescent" even shows the band trying their hand at an epic aesthetic not heard in previous releases. The opening clean moments of "Last Rites" demonstrate that Ingested are capable of rising above the brutality, if the mood strikes them.

Ingested may have to step things up if they want to continue this trajectory. There is nothing inherently wrong with The Level Above Human, except that we've heard it most of it before. As it stands, the album is likely one of the most brutal things anyone will hear this year. And, sometimes, that's enough.
(Unique Leader)